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(No Model.)

0. P. LITTLEJOHN.

PRESSER FOOT FOR SEWING MACHINES. No. 387,083.

Patented July 31, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

CHARLES F. LITTLEJOHN, OF BRIDGEPOR'I, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO CHARLES H. LANGDON, OF ELIZABETH, NEIV JERSEY, AND GEORGE C. BATCHELLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PRESSER-FOOT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 387,083, dated July 31, 1888.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit k nown that I, CHARLES F. LITTLEJOHN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairlield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Presser-Feet for Flat tening and Covering Scams; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a presser-foot which shall be especially adapted to open out evenly and to flatten down the edges of two pieces of cloth outside of the joiningscam, and also to serve as a guide for applying a covering strip or tape. With these ends in view I have devised the novel construction of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, numbers being used to denote the several parts.

Figure 1 is a perspective illustrating the operation of my improved presser-foot in use; Fig. 2, a side elevation as seen from the right; Fig. 3, a bottom plan view; and Fig. 4 a perspective showing the presser-foot provided with holes for twin needles, and also showing one end of the tape-slot as extending out to the edge and the tape held in place by aguide under which the tape is passed when being inserted in the foot.

1 denotes the body of the presser-foot; 2, the shank; 3, needle holes, and 4 a tape slot in front of the needle hole orholes. It should be understood that the details of construction of the body of the foot or the shank and also the mode of attaching to the presser-foot bar (not shown) are not essential features of my invention. It will furthermore be understood by those familiar with the art that these details of construction vary greatly in the several classes of sewing-machines now in the market. My invention, however, is equally adapted to all classes of machines.

In Figs. 1 and 3 I have shown but a single needle-hole, and have shown the tape-slot as closed at both ends, so that the tape has to be passed through in preparing the machine for use. In Fig. 4 I have shown the presserfoot so as provided with two needleholes, and have also shown the tape slot as open at one end and provided with a guide, 5, placed transversely to the slot and high enough above it so that a tape can be passed under it in being inserted, instead of being passed through the slot, as in the other form. These details of construction, however, may be left entirely to thejudgment of the manufacturer and will be determined by the requirements of the trade. 00

The special features of my improved construction are clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The front of my novel presser-foot bears considerable resemblance to the stern of a vessel with the rudder detached.

It will be not-iced (sec dotted linesin Fig. 2) that the tape'slot curves backward slightly from the top. The front line at each side of the presser-foot is a convex curve, extending from just in front of the bottom of the tape slot, as at 6, to the upper forward edge of the presser-foot, as at 7. Midway between the sides of the presser-foot at the front is the separator, denoted by 8. The outlines of the separator, as seen in side elevation, are substantially a right 7 5 angle, slightly rounded in practice at theangle. The front of the separator is a vertlcal line extending from the top of the presser'foot to the bottom thereof, the lower point or angle of the separator being denoted by 9. The bottom line of the separator is the bottom of the entire presserfoot, which is denoted by 10, the entire bottom being made flat so as to press down the edges of cloth after they have been opened out. As viewed in reversed plan, the forward end of the presser-foot is in shape a triangle with concave sides, the apex being toward the front, these concave curves beginning at point 6 on the opposite sides of the bottom of the presser-foot and ending in the front line 9c of the separator.

It will of course be understood that the exact lines of these curves are not of the essence of my invention, and may be considerably varied without departing from the principle thereof.

My invention may be clearly defined by say ing that in the vertical plane the lines from point 9 to points 7 are concave curves, and in the horizontal plane the lines from point 9 to point 6 are also concave curves, the lines from point 6 to point 7 at the sides being convex curves. My novel presser-foot is adapted for covering the seams of corsets and all classes of clothing. The operation is clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. Two pieces of fabric stitched together are placed with the short edges upward, the separator being placed between the edges. As the fabric is fed forward, the front edge of the separator of course opens out the two short edges, and the curves from point 9 and the convex curves at the sides of the presserfoot act to press said short edges out flat without folds or wrinkles.

It will be seen that the spreading portion that is, the portion back of the separatorthat opens out the short edges so that they will flatten down evenly are compound curves that is, a union of two curves-theconcave curve in the transverse vertical plane becoming about midway between point 9 and the edges a convex curve in the longitudinal vertical plane. After being laid flat by the curves just described, the short edges are pressed and pounded down by the flat bottom 10 of the presser-foot,the edges being laid out absolutely smooth and without wrinkles. Vhile the edges have been opened out the tape has also been laid in place and one or both sides stitched down over the flattened short edges.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A sewing-machine presser-foot having a tape-slot, a fiat bottom, convex curves at the sides in front, a separator about midway between the sides extending from the top to the bottom, the lines in the vertical plane from the lower end of the separator to the upper ends of the convex curves and in the horizontal plane from the lower end of the separator to the lower ends of the convex curves being all concave curves.

2. A sewing-machine presser-foot having a tape-slot and a separator in front extending from top to bottom, the lines at the sides being conve-x curves from points 6 to points 7, the bottom lines being concave curves from points 6 to point 9, and the front lines being concave curves from point 9 to points 7, whereby the short ends of a seam are separated, opened out, and flattened down, and a covering tape laid in position to be stitched.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES F. LITTLEJOHN.

\Vitnesses:

A. M. WoosrER, BERTHA E. LEE. 

